Player of the Week Award Caps Chaotic Week for M. Richardson

[klewis]

4/14/2008: Manchester, NH – Mark Richardson's no-nonsense approach to the game of baseball has earned him the nickname "Ice Cold" from his teammates. After this week, however, they may need to start calling him “Red Hot” instead. The Featherheads infielder came out of the gate at a blistering pace, batting .452 with 4 HR in the first week of play. This earned him the distinction of being named the first Player of the Week of the 2008 Imperial League season.

Until last week, Richardson was known as one of the best defensive shortstops in PEBA. The Featherheads made the surprising decision to switch their best defender to the other side of the bag at second base, giving backup infielder Kevin McNeill the starting job at SS. McNeill has been a favorite of the new front office since they took over early last December. Still, the position switch caught many off guard.

"I had no idea that this plan was in the works until the manager called me into his office," said Richardson. "At first I was taken aback, but I'm all for whatever helps the team. I've taken pride in being the best defensive shortstop in the league, and now I will take pride in being the best defensive second basemen in the league. I'm still going to be playing baseball, and that’s what matters. I'm getting paid to play a game, and I'm loving it."

Richardson is most certainly getting paid. He signed a 3-year, $32 million extension last year. Some in the organization worried that the position switch would affect his bat. That obviously has not been the case. Not only has he made strides towards fulfilling his true potential following a year in which he batted only .240, he has played excellent defense to boot. Meanwhile his new double-play partner, Kevin McNeill, has also started out hot, hitting in every single game this year to finish the week batting .414.

While the success of these two certainly bodes well for the Featherheads, the franchise only won three of its first seven games. While the team may not be ready to compete this year, fans should be comforted knowing that Mark Richardson will be at second for the next three years.

[John]

I'm a real believer in Richardson. His offensive output (or lack thereof) was a real downer last year, but I'm betting that changes permanently in '08. A guy with his talent shouldn't have to wait a year to win his first PotW award! Now that he's broken the "Ice" - *rimshot* - I think we're going to see a lot more awards heading Richardson's way. I tried to trade for him a couple times before the '07 season began, but Peter wisely held firm on not moving him. I'm betting Richardson makes that patience look smart.

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[klewis]

Having a better supporting cast is going to help Richardson. I picked up some mid-level bats which add a bit of depth to my lineup, and getting a solid bat like McNeill in the lineup is also going to help. I actually considered trading him if a big offer showed up, but decided that he should be a real centerpiece to the team.